Brazil: Bolsonaro’s cousin’s home raided during January 8 ‘coup’ investigation

Brazil’s federal police searched the home of a cousin of former President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday in connection with the January 8 storming of government buildings in the capital by far-right protesters.

Police said Leonardo Rodrigues de Jesus, known to Bolsonaro supporters as Leo Indio, was one of the targets of a series of raids that led to 11 arrests in several states.

It was the first time that a member of Bolsonaro’s family was involved in the investigation of the Brasilia uprising, which underlined the political polarization in Brazil.

Police said those under investigation could be tried for crimes against democracy and criminal association.

De Jesus posted his photo on the day of the uprising at the entrance of the Congress House on social media.

Later, Bolsonaro’s cousin accused leftists of infiltrating the protest to attack government buildings. Police investigations have found no evidence to support this claim.

De Jesus has a close relationship with one of Bolsonaro’s sons, Carlos Bolsonaro, a city councilor in Rio de Janeiro.

The two often appeared together at the presidential palace in Brasilia when the far-right president was in office. Their visits were kept secret by the Bolsonaro government after criticism from the opposition.

Carlos Bolsonaro is the former president’s head of digital operations and a key member of Bolsonaro’s failed re-election bid.

De Jesus was one of Carlos Bolsonaro’s assistants in Rio and moved to Brasilia in 2019. He joined a senator’s cabinet team and later Bolsonaro’s liberal party group as an adviser to the senate.

He was later fired after local media revealed he was a “phantom worker” – someone who didn’t show up for work but was still paid for the mail.

In 2022 he ran for federal district councilor, but did not get enough votes.

De Jesus has been under investigation by Rio de Janeiro’s judicial authorities since 2021, when it was alleged that he received money transfers from the cabinet of one of Bolsonaro’s sons, Flavio, when he was on the city council. Government money would also have been used to pay De Jesus’ rent.

The Supreme Court had already requested the preventive arrest of De Jesus in connection with the January 8 attacks, but police said he had not yet been detained.

De Jesus can appeal that order, but he said he lacks the money to pay his lawyers’ fees.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in a meeting with state governors, guaranteed that what happened on January 8 would not happen again, calling it an attempted coup.